Too Good
by Alchemy Hael
Summary: With Harvey's death all Bruce's dreams died with him. After Harvey all he could do was hold back the tide, that he knew would eventually take him, too. But Harry has his own ideas, that don't include losing Bruce to Batman. Just count to three...
1. Too Good

This is a complete fic that actually runs more like a one shot, and I would have left it all in one chapter but I really thought it would flow better in pieces...if that makes sense.

This is going to be the only Author's Note for this fic so any disclaimers in this chapter refers to this and all following chapters. Anyway, right after seeing The Dark Knight I had this in mind, I'm rather happy with how it came out. I hope anyone that reads it, is as pleased with it as I am.

This starts many years after The Dark Knight. Some of the script is quoted, if you recognize it, it's not mine. I made up the Joker's history, forgive me.

I hereby disclaim that Harry Potter and Batman belong to their respective owners and claim to own neither of them.

Now, Please enjoy.

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An hourglass was set in front of his face.

"…It's for a white knight, right?"

There was something wrong with the sand. Was it flowing up? Everything seemed to be warping.

"Everything in balance? Why? Why not have a lot more good than bad? After all, it's easy to fall…"

He was cold, the silver chain around his neck was cold. His hand tried to move it but another hand, small and warm, grabbed his and let it travel down the length of the chain, to end at the hourglass.

"…but so much harder to pick yourself up again…"

Two warm hands met around his and the hourglass.

"…that's why, for every bad, let there be two good, too good."

Someone was laughing softly.

"Too good. When one falls so far and so hard, let the other reach out."

His voice didn't want to come out; everything around him was cold, too cold.

"Let's go together, where once there was only one, let there now be two."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because the Dark Knight needs a White Knight, and Bruce Wayne needs help. We'll fix it, and this time we'll save your White Knight, and Bruce Wayne."

Black was surrounding him, the blood from his heart was pouring out of the hole in his chest. Every time his heart beat he could feel it compress against the bullet, but that feeling was occurring less and less.

"Take a deep breath Bruce, and when you breath out, open your eyes, and run. On the count of three, we'll change everything."

One, take a breath.

Two, his heart stopped.

…Three, let it out.

And open his eyes…


	2. Take a Deep Breath

Gray blue eyes took in everything in under two seconds and immediately knew where he was. Gordon was standing next to him, frozen in the act of saying something. It front of him was a dark tunnel warping in and out, and from it a shadow was slowly walking toward him. It was the only thing moving in the frozen world, everything around Batman seemed caught in an act of motion.

Slowly, the figure moved to stand in front of him, finally coming within a foot of him. Pale features stared out from under a hood, green eyes smiling at him.

"Good job, now…are you ready?"

"Where are we? Who are you?" Batman asked.

The figure moved around him so that they were standing back to back, and leaned on him. He was short, so his shoulder blades where poking Batman right under his own shoulder blades. The boy's soft laughter seemed familiar, as if it was the last thing he heard before falling asleep, or a sound he had heard just as he was waking.

"My name is not for you Batman. I have to introduce myself to Bruce first, but now's not the time for that. Look Batman, don't you recognize it? This place, this time?"

"Time?"

"Take a deep breath Batman, and on the count of three, run."

"One."

Take a deep breath

"Run? Run where?"

"Two."

Face forward, the batmobile was in his line of sight. That was his old one, his first! The one that was destroyed along with his dreams and Harvey.

"Is that-!"

Three whispers, "Run Batman. Avenue X at Cicero. Remember it?"

He does, and now there are no questions, only running to his car, the world was moving again. Too fast, too fast. Go FASTER!

-

-

-

"It's okay Rachel. Everything's going to be just fine."

Take a deep breath, the counter says, "Five minutes…"


	3. Emotions Found in Time

He had long ago given up the idea of guilt. Some people needed to die, some people couldn't be saved. She would have to die, but guilt would never settle into his heart. Take a life, save another, with that other, save another. Her death might not be necessary, but he couldn't calculate her part in Batman and Harvey's life. To him, she was an obstacle, one that might serve to sever the bond between them. Their mutual love for her would tear them apart should she live, but now; her death would bind them stronger together. The strength of the combined force of the White and Dark Knights of Gotham would save the city in a way Batman alone could only dream of.

He was standing high above the city, higher than the clouds; green eyes gazing into the stars, watching all the pieces come together. His part was to insure that this time, she died, and Harvey didn't. His part was to insure the Joker didn't win.

Two minutes and forty-seven seconds declare, "Show time."

-

"Look for something to free yourself."

"_She won't find anything."_

"Who-!"

"_Hehe, would it make you feel better if I told you Bats chose her over you?"_

Harvey breathed a sigh of relief, before realizing that voice belonged to the Joker, the Joker who was supposed to be in prison.

"What did you do you bastard?!"

"_I might have gotten the addresses wrong, when I told him. I can't quite recall. You know, my memory's never been the same since I got these scars…have I told you about how I got them. Well-"_

"Shut up! Rachel? Rachel! Can you hear me? Try to find-"

"_Time's running out. Better hurry up."_

-

Ten seconds sigh, "Say goodbye."

-

"What do you want?"

A scarred and painted face smiles nonchalantly, "I want my phone call."

One of the officers reaches into his pocket for his cell phone, but a warm hand wraps around his wrist to take his phone.

A short officer steps forward, arm outstretched, phone in hand, knowing green eyes staring straight into Joker's.

"Just don't hurt him." He says softly, but he's not looking or talking about Stephan, clutched in the Joker's deadly grip.

The Joker takes the phone and starts dialing.

-

Five seconds grieve, "Close your eyes."

Batman kicked the door in and Harvey looks up in horror.

"No! He lied, she's not here! Not me?!"

This time Batman doesn't hesitate, just grabs Harvey and the world is still spinning too fast. Just jump out the window, take the broken ribs, for him, for this chance.

"Rachel!"

"Harvey? Harvey it's okay…"

"Rachel!!"

Out the window, Batman cushioned Harvey's fall with his own body, the dumpster crumpled around his ribs and the breath was knocked out from his lungs. He couldn't breath, but his heart was still pumping, and so was Harvey's as they both stared up as the building exploded.

-

Eternity smiles, "Welcome home."


	4. Serene Green

The impossible goodness of the masses had prevailed, and two ferries remain undamaged and in a building high above a crowded street, the Joker hangs from Batman's grapple.

"You truly are incorruptible, aren't you?"

As Batman fastens him, still in the air, Joker continues laughing, "You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness…and I won't kill you because you're too much fun. We're going to do this forever."

Right below Batman, in a mirror stance, standing on the ceiling as if it were floor, a figure wrapped in shadows was staring at the Joker and smiling pleasantly. Looking into bright green eyes, Joker paused, recognizing the officer that had given him the cell phone at the precinct.

"I think you had enough time the first go 'round. This time, it ends here." A pale hand reached forward to caress the scars brutally stretching the other's face into an eternal grin. "Do you remember the time you got these scars?"

Joker choked, those green eyes, he remembered them. All those years ago, as he lay bleeding, face down in a dirty alley, the victim of a random mugging, a black figure had stepped out from the depth of the alley and crouched in front of him.

Green eyes smiled kindly into eyes that were quickly settling into madness, "Only once. You'll only have your way once. I guess I should say... enjoy it. It won't happen twice. I won't let you hurt him twice; I'll make sure of it."

"If you could save _him_, why won't you save me?!" he screamed with the last vestiges of sanity. "If you can give someone else a second chance why not me?!"

The eyes closed as if in contemplation, and the figure hummed, before green eyes gazed back at him.

"Because some people need to die, and some people can't be saved."

The Joker glared in hatred at the green eyes that were still as serene as they were when the left him lying in that filthy alley, right next to the decaying apartment he'd worked three jobs to pay for, for the wife and daughter that had been dead for a week. Killed for what would amount to all of five dollars and some odd cents. He'd only been able to come home during the weekends, he worked so often. When he wasn't working, he was sleeping on a bench at the rail station. He'd actually managed to by his daughter a deck of cards from a street vender that had been selling them for a few cents. But standing over the bodies of his family, face bleeding freely, flipping through his daughter's gift he found them all to be jokers, taken from different decks, but all jokers.

"What a joke."

-

He was laughing hysterically, even as green eyes smiled back and cut the rope.

"And I was just starting to have fun. What a joke."

"Now it's time for someone else to have fun."


	5. Count to Three

Bruce was standing at the entrance of Wayne manor, looking in, eyes following Alfred as he moved around arranging books on a shelf on the second floor. It was nice to see him alive and healthy, impossible, but now Bruce knew how to cure Alfred should it happen again. Last time, he'd been too late, but this time…this time everything would be better. Harvey was even more passionate about supporting Batman in his efforts to better Gotham, and Bruce was doing what he could to support Harvey back. This time he wasn't working against the Gotham's public servants, and the bat signal was still in working condition. But Bruce knew, one day, they wouldn't need it. One day he wouldn't need it.

The crunching of gravel sounded behind him and Bruce smiled and turned. A young man, seventeen or slightly older and dressed casually in black slacks with a white dress shirt under a black sweeter vest, walked up the drive. Bruce let him finish walking to him, and waited for the man to say something once they were standing a foot apart.

Finally a smile curved his lips and a dark chuckle escaped him, "It's nice to meet you, my name's Bruce Wayne. What's yours?"

Hands reached out and Bruce automatically held his own out, and the man let a silver chain followed by a small silver hourglass fall into them, but still said nothing. Bruce lifted the hourglass to peer closely through it, but the sand was settled at the bottom and wouldn't move even when he turned it.

"If you want, you can keep it. Keep it until you need it." A soft voice whispered from the man, he looked tired and worn, as if he had been using up all his power to do something, and whatever was left was being used to keep him standing.

Bruce looked back into his tired green eyes, then back down to the hourglass and laughed again…of course.

One – take a breath

Two – his heart stopped

Three – let it out

…and open his eyes…

…and Bruce let if fall through his fingers, to shatter on the marble entrance, and he took the boy's hand in his to lead him into the manor. With his back turned to the shards of broken glass, he didn't see the necklace disintegrate to gold specks and drift to the man he was leading in, but he did see him smile.

"My name is Harry Potter."

Bruce smiled wider and took a deep breath.

"Alfred, I'd like you to meet someone."


End file.
